“They’re all in one place - public servants, politicians - working from one central location.”

Mr Ipatas is putting much – needed emphasis on impact projects to do with communication, electricity, health, education, agriculture and tourism.

The outdated analogue telephone system was recently done away and replaced with digital, heralding in a new age of Internet communications.

“We’ve now got the digital system,” the Governor said.

“We’ve been having a lot of problems with the phones and now we’re happy.

“It’s almost 100 per cent complete now so we’re pretty happy.

“It’s now the digital system.

“We’ve had the analogue system for a long, long time.

“ It (digital) opens up the place for emails, the banking system also relies on that, so it’s very good for business.”

Fed up with constant power disruptions, the Enga Provincial Government has spent K400, 000 on buying a new generator, which will be managed by PNG Power in Wabag.

Outstations will be linked up with the main power supply from Yonki in the Eastern Highlands.

“ The standby generator cost us about K400, 000 to be installed,” Mr Ipatas said.

“It was under done under a memorandum of agreement with PNG Power.

“ Too many blackouts are costing business so much money so we are doing that.

“We are now looking at connecting all our districts with electricity.

“Wapenamenda and Wabag districts have got power.

“So now we’re got to get power to Laiagam, power to Porgera, power to Kandep and Kompiam.

“That’s our next major project that we want to undertake.”

Mr Ipatas also has major plans for:

Health: Bring in specialist doctors and the right equipment.

Education: Convert either Wabag or Kopen secondary schools into a secondary technical high school.

Agriculture: Allocation of K250, 000 to Rural Development Bank for credit scheme. Another K50, 000 to buy blight – resistant potatoes and chemicals to combat this insidious disease. Funds will also be expanded into the revival of the Enga Vegetable Marketing Company. More extension work will be carried out into pyrethrum.